Faith's Journey - Book One (Warriors Fanfiction)

Prologue

The stars glinted off of every surface in the quiet night. The crickets could be heard chirping and make a soft song nearby. 

Sitting by a small pool of water, was a brown she-cat with forest green eyes and stars shining in her pelt. The cat looked troubled, deep in thought. She watched its clear surface ripple as her tail nudged the water just slightly. Starlight shone in the clear water from up above.

The ferns behind the she-cat rustled, causing her to turn. An orange tom with the tips of his fluffy tail, ears, and paws dipped in white and his green eyes reflecting in the light of the moon, stepped out and studied the brown she-cat, intently.

"Greetings Foxstar." The brown she-cat murmured a greeting and dipped her head, then turned back to the water.

The tom called Foxstar came up to her side and sat down next to her, their pelts claw-lengths from touching.

"I can tell something's troubling you, Fernstar." Foxstar blinked at her. "Talk to me."

Fernstar closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Once she opened them again, she turned her gaze to her companion.

"There is a cat coming. She is not one of the clans. Not yet." Fernstar whispered. "She has a destiny greater than she realizes. The forest calls to her." 

"Who?" Foxstar asked.

Fernstar stretched her arm forward and dipped her toes in the starry water of the pond before her. The water rippled, color began to appear, morphing into a black tortoiseshell she-cat. The cat was curled up into a ball, her legs twitching as a small smile grew on her lips.

"She's a kittypet?" Foxstar meowed quietly, his gaze traveling back to Fernstar after watching the she-cat.

Fernstar gave him a nod. Foxstar eyebrows furrowed as he turned back to study the kittypet. Fernstar tapped her paw on the she-cat's head and the scene in the water changed. The she-cat was now running through FernClan's territory, her ears flattened as the wind buffeted her fur. She came to stop as she spotted a mouse. Her ears and tail pricked up in interest.

"There's something else." Fernstar meowed. "Her destiny is entangled with one of your own, Foxstar."

Foxstar sent her a questioning look. "Darkstar?"

Fernstar gave him a tiny nod. "I have to tell Thistlestar of this."

"Why is this cat so important?" Foxstar asked as Fernstar rose to her paws.

"There is something coming. Both of our clans need her, even if they don't know it yet." Fernstar replied. 

With that, she turned and bounded away, leaving Foxstar sitting there staring after her. Fernstar closed her eyes and let her mind wander the forest, coming into FernClan's camp. The familiar camp, with its sheltered dens, bracken boundary, and soft snores wafting from inside bushes and caves sent a feeling of warmth through Fernstar. It had been so long ago since she had set paw here. But now was not the time for looking back on the past, Fernstar was here for more important, and more pressing, matters. 

Shaking out her fur, Fernstar started toward the large tree with arching branches that was nestled against the back the hollow. A small hole beneath the the roots could be seen in the pale moonlight that filtered through the forest canopy. Taking a deep breath, she weaved her way down through the roots of the tree and found FernClan's leader, Thistlestar curled up in his nest. His gray flank was rising and falling with each shallow breath he took and his tired head was resting upon his two white paws. With a small smile, Fernstar reached out a starry paw and rested it on Thistlestar's forehead. She closed her eyes once more and pulled herself into his sleeping mind. 

Fernstar found herself in FernClan's territory, she was at Basking Stones. The water lapped at the rocky shore and the river gurgled as it flowed further downstream. Fernstar caught sight of the gray pelt of Thistlestar laying down on a warm boulder. He would've blended in, if not for his white front paws. She padded over to him and rested a paw on the leader's shoulder. Thistlestar's ear twitched and he opened his eyes. He shot up when he saw Fernstar standing over him. 

He blinked his green eyes in surprise."Fernstar!" He meowed in surprise, making his fur lie flat.

"I have something of great importance to tell you." Fernstar said as Thistlestar got off the smooth, gray rock to stand in front of her.

"Straight to the point aren't you, Fernstar?" Thistlestar chuckled, softly.

Fernstar simply stared at him, cocking an eyebrow.

"Alright, go ahead." Thistlestar became serious again.

Fernstar looked Thistlestar in the eye. "There is a cat coming to your clan soon. She has a great destiny ahead of her. One that will lead her to save your clan from a dangerous enemy." 

Thistlestar's green eyes widened in alarm. "Will my clan be alright? When will it happen? What's going to happen?" He demanded.

Fernstar held up a paw to silence him. "StarClan doesn't know everything, Thistlestar. We just know that this cat is important, important to FernClan, all the clans at that. She's special. She has a destiny that is greater than most. She will grow powerful."

Thistlestar blinked as he listened intently to her. "Who is she? Who is the enemy?" He asked, searching Fernstar's green gaze.

As the lapping of water filled the now silent air, miles away, across clan boundaries, there was a black tortoiseshell kittypet, awake in the starry night, watching the forest from her twoleg nest with longing and curiosity burning in the green depths of her eyes.